The present invention generally relates to methods and equipment for cutting food products. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatuses suitable for cutting food product slices having relatively large amplitude cross-sections.
Various types of equipment are known for slicing, shredding and granulating food products, such as vegetable, fruit, dairy, and meat products. A widely used line of machines for this purpose is commercially available from Urschel Laboratories, Inc., under the name Urschel Model CC®, an embodiment of which is represented in FIG. 1. The Model CC® machine line provides versions of centrifugal-type slicers capable of producing uniform slices, strip cuts, shreds and granulations of a wide variety of food products at high production capacities.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of an impeller 310 and cutting head 312, respectively, of types that can be used in the Model CC® machine. In operation, the impeller 310 is coaxially mounted within the cutting head 312, which is generally annular-shaped with cutting knives 314 mounted on its perimeter. The impeller 310 rotates within the cutting head 312, while the latter remains stationary. Each knife 314 projects radially inward toward the impeller 310 in a direction generally opposite the direction of rotation of the impeller 310, and defines a cutting edge at its radially innermost extremity. As represented in FIG. 4, the impeller 310 has generally radially-oriented paddles 316 with faces that engage and direct food products (e.g., potatoes) radially outward against the knives 314 of the cutting head 312 as the impeller 310 rotates.
FIG. 1 schematically represents the cutting head 312 mounted on a support ring 328 above a gear box 330. A housing 332 contains a shaft coupled to the gear box 330, through which the impeller 310 is driven within the cutting wheel 312. Further descriptions pertaining to the construction and operation of Model CC® machines are contained in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,694,824 and 6,968,765, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The cutting head 312 shown in FIG. 3 comprises a lower support ring 318, an upper mounting ring 320, and circumferentially spaced support segments (shoes) 322. The knives 314 of the cutting head 312 are individually secured with clamping assemblies 26 to the shoes 322, which are secured with bolts 325 to the support and mounting rings 318 and 320. The shoes 322 are equipped with coaxial pivot pins (not shown) that engage holes in the support and/or mounting rings 318 and 320. By pivoting on its pins, the orientation of a shoe 322 can be adjusted to alter the radial location of the cutting edge of its knife 314 with respect to the axis of the cutting head 312, thereby controlling the thickness of the sliced food product. As an example, adjustment can be achieved with an adjusting screw and/or pin 324 located circumferentially behind the pivot pins. FIG. 3 further shows optional gate insert strips 323 mounted to each shoe 322, which the food product crosses prior to encountering the knife 314 mounted to the succeeding shoe 322.
The knives 314 shown in FIG. 3 are depicted as having straight cutting edges for producing flat slices, though other shapes are also used to produce sliced and shredded products. For example, the knives 314 can have cutting edges that define a periodic pattern of peaks and valleys when viewed edgewise. The periodic pattern can be characterized by sharp peaks and valleys, or a more corrugated or sinusoidal shape characterized by more rounded peaks and valleys when viewed edgewise. If the peaks and valleys of each knife 314 are aligned with those of the preceding knife 314, slices are produced in which each peak on one surface of a slice corresponds to a valley on the opposite surface of the slice, such that the slices are substantially uniform in thickness but have a cross-sectional shape that is characterized by sharp peaks and valleys (“V-slices”) or a more corrugated or sinusoidal shape (crinkle slices), collectively referred to herein as periodic shapes. Alternatively, shredded food product can be produced if each peak of each knife 314 is aligned with a valley of the preceding knife 314, and waffle/lattice-cut food product can be produced by intentionally making off axis alignment cuts with a periodic-shaped knife, for example, by cross cutting a food product at two different angles, typically ninety degrees apart. Whether a sliced, shredded or waffle-cut product is desired will depend on the intended use of the product.
Equipment currently available for cutting food product, such as those represented in FIGS. 1-4, are well suited for producing slices of a wide variety of food products, but have shown to be incapable of producing V-slices and crinkle slices having relatively large amplitude cross-sections without incurring unacceptable levels of through-slice cracking, or at minimum undesirable surface cracking and surface roughness. As used herein, large amplitude refers to cross-sections with amplitudes of about 0.1 inches (about 2.5 mm) or greater.